GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
 
هيئة التقييس لدول مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية 
GCC STANDARDIZATION ORGANIZATION (GSO)  
 
 
 
مشروعنهائي  
Draft Standard FDS 
 
 
إعداد اللجنةالفنية الخليجية رقم TC05  
 
Prepared by GSO Technical  Committee No. TC05  
 
GSO / 2023 
 
البن ومنتجاته- حبوب البن المحمص   
COFFEE AND COFFEE PRODUCTS - ROASTED 
COFFEE BEANS  
ICS:  67.140.20  
 
هذه الوثيقة مشروع للائحة فنية  خليجية تم توزيعها 
لإبداء الرأي والملحوظات بشأنها، لذلك فإنها عرضة 
للتغيير والتبديل، ولا يجوز الرجوع إليها كلائحة فنية 
خليجية إلا بعد اعتمادها من الهيئة. This document is  a draft Gulf Technical 
Regulation  circulated for comments. It is, 
therefore, subj ect to alteration and 
modification and may not be referred to 
as a Gulf Technical Regulation  until 
approved by GSO.  GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
 
Foreword  
 
 
GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) is a regional organization which consists 
of the national standardization bodies of GCC member states. One of GSO main 
functions is to issue gulf standards and technical regulations through specialized 
technical commi ttees.  
 
GSO Ministerial Committee in its meeting number (…..)  held on …./…../…..H, 
which corresponds to …../…./….., has approved the update of Gulf (Technical 
Regulation ) GSO  : titled " Coffee and coffee products - roasted coffee beans " in 
English language which was studied through the technical program of GSO 
Technical Committee for Food and Agricultural Products (…..) in …….. schedule. 
(Arabic) text is considered the official text in case of any conflicts between the two. 
This documen t will cancel and replace the Gulf Technical Regulation GSO 
1391:2002   “Ground Roasted Coffee ” and GSO 2197:2012  “Coffee And 
Coffee Products - Roasted Coffee Beans”.  
 
  GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
Coffee and Coffee Products: Roasted Coffee Beans  
1- Scope and Field of Application  
This GSO standard is concerned with the requirements for whole and 
ground roasted coffee beans obtained by roasting green coffee beans of 
the genus ( Coffea ). It does not include ground roasted coffee to which 
added by any other additives  and Instant Coffee . 
2-     Complementary Standards  
2.1 GSO 9 “ Labeling Of Prepackaged Food Stuffs ”. 
2.2 GSO 21 “Hygienic Requlation For Food Plants And Thier Personal”.  
2.3 GSO 150 - 1 “Expiration Dates For Food Products -Part 1 : Mandatory 
Expiration Date ”. 
2.4 GSO 193 “ Contaminants And Toxins In Food And Feed ”. 
2.5 GSO 382 “ MAXIMUM LIMITS OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN 
AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD PRODUCTS ”. 
2.6 GSO 442 “ GREEN COFFEE BEANS ”. 
2.7 GSO 839 “ Food Packages - Part 1: General Requirements ”. 
2.8 GSO 1016 “ Microbiological Cri teria For Foodstuffs ”. 
2.9 GSO 1863 “ Food Packages - Part 2: Plastic Package – General 
Requirements ”. 
2.10 GSO 2388 “ Decaffeinated Coffee ”. 
2.11 GSO 2700 “Migration Limits Of Food Packages”.  
2.12 GSO ISO 6670 “INSTANT COFFEE IN CASES WITH LINERS — 
SAMPLING”.  
2.13 GSO ISO 11294 “Roasted Ground Coffee -- Determination Of 
Moisture Content -- Method By Determination Of Loss In Mass At 103 
Degrees C (Routine Method)”.  
2.14 The standard specification that will be approved by the Authority 
related to "  Determination of the caffeine content".  GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
2.15 The standard specification that will be approved by the authority related 
to "  Determination of particle size of ground roasted coffee”.  
3-   Definitions  
3.1 Roasted coffee: Coffee obtained by roasting green coffee . 
3.2 Roasting: Heat treatment which produces fundamental chemical and 
physical  changes in the structure and composition of green coffee, 
bringing about  darkening of the coffee and development of the 
characteristic flavour of roasted  coffee.  
3.3 Grinding: Mechanical operation intended to produce fragmentation of 
roasted  coffee beans, resulting in ground coffee.  
3.4 Ground roasted coffee: Product obtained by grinding roasted coffee.  
3.5 Decaffeinated ground roasted coffee: Roasted ground coffee obtained 
from  decaffeinated green coffee.  
3.6 Agtron scale: a scale used to determine the grade  of roasting color of 
coffee beans.  
3.7 SCAA  disk value : a colorimetric card used to determine  the grade  of 
roasting color of coffee  beans . 
3.8 Soxhlet extraction apparatus: is a solvent extraction device.  
3.9 Thimble :  the weight of the material to be extracted and placed in the 
extraction device.  
 
4- Requirements  
4.1 The green coffee beans used must comply with GSO standard stated in 
(2.6)   
4.2   The product shall produce according to GSO standard stated in item  
(2.2).  
4.3   The limits of pollutants and toxins shall not exceed the maximum  
limits approved in the GSO standard stated in item (2. 4). 
4.4   The limits of pesticide residues shall not exceed the  maximum limits  GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
approved in the GSO Standard stated in item (2. 5). 
4.5   The microbiological limits shall not exceed the maximum limits  
approved in the GSO Standard stated in item (2. 8). 
4.6 The expiration dates of food products shall be according to GSO 
standard  stated in item (2.3).  
4.7 Food additives are not permitted.  
4.8 The caffeine content shall not be less than 0.8% by mass, and for 
decaffeinated it shall not be more than 0.1%.  
4.9 The product shall be free from foreign matters, impurities, insects and 
their parts or wastes.  
4.10 It shall retain its natural properties and be free from rancidity or any 
foreign odors.  
4.11 It shall be homogeneous in color, ranging from light to dark brown.  
4.12 The moisture content shall not exceed 5% by mass.  
4.13 The total ash shall not exceed 5% by mass.  
4.14 The acid insoluble ash shall not exceed 1% by mass.  
4.15 The water -soluble matter shall be between 25% - 32% by mass.  
4.16 The alkalinity of the water -soluble ash in milliliters of 0.1 N 
hydrochloric acid per gram of material shall be between 3.5 - 7. 
4.17 The petr oleum ether extract shall not be less than 8.5% by mass.  
4.18 The decaffeinated whole and ground roasted beans shall be comply 
with the GSO standard stated in (2. 10).  
4.19 The acrylamide content in roasted coffee beans shall  not exceed 400 
μg/kg.  
4.20 The particle size of the ground roasted beans shall be in accordance 
with the following table:  
 
Table (1): The particle size of the ground roasted beans  
Type  % by weight 
retained on  
710-microns sieve  % by weight 
retained on 500 -
microns sieve  % by weight 
retained on 355 -
microns sieve  
Fine  10 15 50 GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
Medium  20 20 30 
Coarse  30 25 15 
 
4.21 The roasting color grades  using by Agtron scale or SCAA  disk value  
shall be according to the following table:  
Roasting color  Description  Grades  
Agtron 
scale  SCAA disk 
value  
Light  a light brown in color 
with no oil on the surface 
of beans  80-90 85 
Medium  a medium brown in color 
which has a stronger 
flavor, and may exhibit a 
slight oily surface  50-60 55 
Moderately dark  a moderately dark brown 
in color with some oil on 
the surface and slightly 
bittersweet aftertaste.  40-50 45 
Dark  a dark brown in color 
which has a glossy oily 
surface and a pronounced 
bitterness.  The colors of 
roasting run from slightly 
dark to charred  30-40 35 
 
5- Sampling  
5.1 The samples shall be drawn  according to the GSO standard stated in 
(2.12). 
6- Examination and testing methods  
6.1 The caffeine content can be determine d according to the GSO 
standard stated in (2. 14). GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
6.2 The moisture content can be determined according to the GSO 
standard stated in (2. 13) or using moisture measuring devices.  
6.3 The total ash can be determined according to the following method:  
6.3.1            Procedure:  Weigh accurately about 5 g of the material in a platinum     
           dish. Heat at 100 ºC ± 2 ºC until water is expelled and then  heat  
           slowly over a flame until swelling ceases. Ignite in a muffle furnace  
           at 550 ºC ± 10 ºC until grey ash results. Cool the dish in a desiccator  
           and weigh. Repeat this process of heating for 30 min, cooling in a  
           desiccator, and weighing until the difference between two successive  
           weighing is less than one milligram. Record the lowest mass.  
6.3.2 Calculation:   
Total ash (dry basis) = 10000  (𝑚2−𝑚)
 (𝑚1−𝑚)(100 −𝐻)percent  by mass  
M2 = the mass in g of the dish with the ash  
M= the mass in g of the empty dish  
M1= the mass in g of the dish with the material (coffee powder)  
H= the percentage of moisture  
6.4 The acid insoluble ash can be determined according to the following 
method:  
6.4.1           Reagent:  Dilute hydrochloric acid, approximately 5 N, prepared from  
          concentrated hydrochloric acid.  
6.4.2           Procedure:  Add 25 mL of dilute hydrochloric acid to the ash  
          contained in the dish , then Cover the dish with a watch -glass and heat   
          it on a water -bath for 10 min . After that cool and filter the contents of   
          the dish through Whatman filter paper No. 42 or its equivalent  and  
          wash the filter paper until the washi ngs are free from the acid . Return  
          the filter paper and the residue to the dish. Keep it in an electric air - 
          oven maintained at 135 ºC  ± 2 ºC for about 3 h. Ignite in a muffle  
          furnace, cooling and weighing at half -hour inter vals until the     
          difference  in weight between the two successive weighing at half -hour  
          intervals until the difference in weight between the  two successive  
          weighing is less than one milligram  and record the lowest mass.  
6.4.3           Calculation:  
The acid insoluble ash  (dry basis)   =  10000  (𝑊2−𝑊)
 (𝑊1−𝑊)(100 −𝑀) 
W2 = the mass in g of dish with acid insoluble as h 
W= the mass in g of the empty dish  GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
W1= the mass in g of dish with the material  
M= the percentage of moisture  
6.5 The water -soluble matter can be determined according to the 
following method:  
6.5.1            Procedure:  Weigh accurately about 2 g of the material in a 500 -mL  
           Erlenmeyer flask and add 200 mL of water and reflux over a low  
           flame for one hour, then c ool and filter through a Whatman filter  
          paper No. 1 or its equivalent, wash three times with 10 mL to 15 mL  
          of water finally make up to 250 mL in a graduated flask , after that          
          shake well and pipette a 50 mL aliquot in a tared dish and evaporation,  
          dry for one hour in an oven at 100 ºC ± 2 ºC, cool in a desiccator and  
          weigh , then r epeat this process of heating for 30 min, cooling in a  
          desiccator an d weighing until the loss in mass between two successive  
          weighing is less than one milligram  and r ecord the lowest mass.  
6.5.2           Calculation:  
The water -soluble matter (dry basis)   =  50000  (𝑚2−𝑚1)
 𝑚(100 −𝐻) 
M2 = the mass in g of the dish with the ash  
M= the mass in g of the empty dish  
M1= the mass in g of the dish with the material (coffee powder)  
H= the percentage of moisture  
6.6 The alkalinity of the water -soluble ash can be determined according to 
the following method:  
6.6.1            Reagent:  Standard hydrochloric acid, dissolve 0.5 g of methyl orange  
           in 500 mL of distilled water. Filter, if necessary . 
6.6.2            Procedure:  Titrate the filtrate obtained in Clause B.1 with standard  
           hydrochloric  acid, using the methyl orange indicator. Note the  
           volume in milliliters of the acid used  then c alculate the quantity of 0.1  
           N hydrochloric acid required to neutralize the water -soluble ash from    
           one gram of the dry mate rial. 
6.7 The petroleum ether extract can be determined according to the 
following method:  
6.7.1 Apparatus: Soxhlet extraction apparatus.  
6.7.2 Reagent: Petroleum ether, distilling below 60 ºC.  
6.7.3 Procedure: weigh accurately about 10 g of the material in a suitable 
thimble and dry for 2 h at 100 ºC ± 2 ºC. Place the thimble in the GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
soxhlet extraction apparatus and extract with the solvent for about 16 
h. Dry the extract contained in the Soxhlet flask, the empty  weight of 
which has been previously determined, at 95 ºC to 100 ºC for an hour. 
Cool in a desiccator and weigh. Continue the alternate drying and 
weighing at 30 min intervals until the loss in weight between two 
successive weighings is not more than one m illigram. Record the 
lowest weight.  
6.7.4 Calculation:   
Percentage by weight:   =  10000  (𝑊1−𝑊2)
 𝑊(100 −𝑀)  
W1 = The mass in g of Soxhlet flask with the petroleum ether extract.  
W2= The mass in g of Soxhlet flask, clean and dry.  
W= The mass in g of the material taken for test.  
M= The percentage of moisture.  
6.8 The particle size of ground roasted beans can be determined according 
to the GSO standard stated in (2. 15). 
6.9 The color of the roasted bean can be determined using Agtron scale or 
SCAA disk value.  
7- Packaging, transportation and storage  
7.1 Whole and ground roasted beans shall be packed in suitable packages 
according to the GSO standard stated in (2. 7, 2.9, 2.11). 
7.2 The packed product shall be transported in a way as to protect it from 
contamination.  
7.3 The pa cked product shall be stored in clean and well -ventilated sores 
away from sources of heat, moisture, and harmful materials, preferably 
in packages or bags  that prevent direct exposure to sunlight.  
8- Labelling  
Without prejudice to the requirements given in the GSO standard stated 
in (2.1), the following information shall be declared on each bag or 
container:  
8.1 Product name (whole roasted bean) or (ground roasted bean) depends 
on the product type.  
8.2 Grading according to roasting color  (light or medium or moderately 
dark or dark).  GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
8.3 Grading according to the particle size of ground roasted bean (fine, 
medium, coarse).  
8.4 In the case of decaffeinated coffee, it shall be labelled on the product 
and the name of the solvent used.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
 
المصطلحات الفنية 
بن محمص ................................................................ .... Roasted coffee 
بن محمص مطحون  ..................................................  Ground roasted coffee 
جهاز أقترون  ................................................................ ...... Agtron scale 
بطاقة مقياس اللون  ..........................................................  SCAA disk value 
جهاز استخراج  ...............................................  Soxhlet extraction apparatus 
كشتبان ................................................................ .................  Thimble 
فرن مافيل  ................................................................ ...... Muffle furnace 
مجفف ................................................................ ..............  Desiccator 
زجاج ساعة ................................................................ ....... Watch -glass  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 GSO 0000: 2023                                                                       مواصفة قياسية خليجية  
 
 
References  
1. USDA: CID Coffee, Tea, Cocoa, Beverage Mixes, and Water 
https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades -standards/cid/beverages  
2. CBI: Entering the European market for coffees roasted at origin  
https://www.cbi.eu/market -information/coff ee/roasted -coffees/market -
entry#:~:text=Commission%20Regulation%20(EU)%202017%2F,coffee%20is%20400%20%CE
%BCg%2Fkg .  
3. FSSAI: manual of methods of analysis of foods beverages: tea, coffee, chicory  
https://fssai.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Manual_Beverages_08_07_2022.pdf   
4. EAS 105: Roasted coffee beans and roasted ground coffee – Specification